Air-ship.



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PATENTED JULY 17 J. M. ONEALL.

AIR SHIP. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. 1905.

PATBNTBD JULY 17, 1900.

J. M. ONEALL.

AIR SHIP. ABPLIGATION FILED JAN. 9. 1005.

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INVNTOR. W. (Qu/m00. BYMMLMMW w50.

JAMES M. ONEALL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AIR-SHlP.

.NCL 826,052.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed January 9,1905. Serial No. 240,261.

Tu a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. ONEALL, a

' citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AinShips, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates `to improvements in air-ships; and it consists of the novel construction hereinafter specified and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved air-ship which shall possess greater dirigibility than those heretofore constructed.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved air-ship which shall have great power and offer less than the usual amount of resistance to the air in its passage therethrough,

Inthe drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air-ship embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the rear end ofthe propeller-tube and adjacent connections. Fig. 3 is a sectional front end view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional rear view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a'detail view in perspective of one of the screw or propeller blades. Fig. 6 is a detail planview` of the rudder and its connections.

In carrying out my invention I may make use of any one of a series of constructions which are mechanical equivalents, one of which is shown in the drawings.

7 indicates a balloon which is subst-am tially conical inform and'normally located in horizontal position with its pointed end at the front ofthe machine, and the rear end of said balloon is rounded rather abruptly and .is substantially semispherical shaped. `The balloon may of course be made of lany suitable material heretofore used for the purpose, and it is arranged to support the driving and steering devices, wnich are suspended beneath said balloon by means of common cords or ropes 8, the upper ends of which are connected to a common balloon-netting 9, and the lower ends of which cords or ropes are connected to theframe ofthe drivingrand steering mechanism.

10 indicates a pneumatic tube which extends beneath and substantially parallel with 'the balloon.

a housingor enlargement 11, the interior of At the rear end'of said tube is which connects with the interior ofsaid tube, and a suitable screw or propeller 12 is mount# ed within said housing, and the propeller is fixed upon a shaft 13, lwhich has properbearings 14. Said propeller in the present instance is provided with four arms 15, which project from a common hub, and said arms are iitted with paddles or vanes 16, one edge and one end of which are rovided with connecting-flanges 17, and sald paddles or vanes are of course at an angle for an obvious4 purpose? Mounted above the pneumatic tube 10 u on the frame'lS is a suitable motor 19, whic is connected to the propeller-shaft 13 by means of pulleys 20 and 21 and a belt 22'. In this connection I point out the fact that said pulleys and vbelt ma be replaced by common sprocket-Wilco s and a chain. 23 indicates an additional propeller, which is mounted beneath the forward portion of the pneumatic tube 10' to rotate 'in a horizontal plane, and this propeller is driven by a horizontal shaft 24, which extendsbeneath the pneumatic tube and'is connected to the propeller by means of common gear-Wheels 25. Motion is communicated to said shaft 24 by means of the ulley 26, fixed upon said-shaft, abelt 27, and a' ulley 2J, fixed upon the shaft 13 of the st-mentioncd propeller.` It is needless to say that such means for driving the shaft 24-and its propeller may be supplanted by common sprocket-wheels and chain or by any other common mechanical equivalent thereof.

Beneath the pneumatic tube 10 are suitable supporting-wheels 29, which, with their axles 30, constitute a sort of truck upon Awhich the air-ship may rest and be moved from place to place on the ground. In some cases I may provide a long shallow boat in the form of an aero lane, which is hollow and constructed gas-tig t in such a manner that it may be filled with gas to assist'in lifting the air-ship, whether the boat be moving through the air or u on the surface of the water. 4 This boat is s own in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and indicated bythe numeral 31. In

case the boat 31l is used it will also be necessary to enlarge the diameter ofthe wheels 29, as indicated by dotted lines. If the motor is what is known as a gasolene-motor, it may be supplied with fuel from a gasolenetank 32, which is supported upon the frame l 8.

33 indicates a platform adjacent the-motor ICAO 19, which is provided for the accommodation of the operator.

34 indicates a rudder,- which is pivotally l driving-propeller 127 and thereby move the mounted in a vertical positionl in a fork 35.

and connected thereto by means of a pivot or 'pin 36, so that said rudder maybe oscillated in a vertical plane, as indicated by the dotted lifres in F ig. 2. Said rudder is also capable of lateral oscillation by reason of 'its fork 35 being pivotally connected to the cross-bar 37 by means of a` ndlt 38. Upon each side of the rudder 34 are aeroplanes 39, 'which move with said rudder.

For the purpose of controlling the rudder I provide a handv-lever 40, which is ivotallyconnected intermediate of its en s to a rocking cross-bar 41 by means of a boltor pin 42. The forward end of said hand-lever extends above the operators platform 33,` `4and therear portion of the hand-lever extends to a point above said rudder 34, and the rudder is connected to said hand-lever by means of an oscillating and sliding rod 43,the.

lower end of which rod is pivotally connected to the forward end of said rudder by means of a bolt or pin 44. The said sliding rod 43, is

-loosely mounted in a bearing 45 and located centrally of the length of a fixed cross-bar 46, and said bearing also acts as a fulcrum for the oscillating and sliding rod 43 whenever theA latter is 'used as a lever. The upper end of said oscillating and sliding rod 43 is connected to `the hand-lever 40 by means of a common eyebolt 47. lt will be observed that the rudder 34 is located directly in the rear of the pneumatic tube. i

The operation is as follows: The balloon 7 should first be inflated to afford the neces sary buoyancy and then the motor 19 set in motion and the rudder placed in the position in which it is shown in solid lines.l The airship should now be permitted to ascend a 4slight distance, and the power or motion imand power of the motor by means of the common regulating` appliances with which all motors are provided, so that the forward speed will be greater or less or the ship may be brought to rest. The front propeller 23 is what I term the altitudinous controller, as by its rotation the air-ship is caused to ascend, and by reversal of its movement the air-ship is caused to descend. The reversal of said l propeller 23 is accomplished bythe conuuon reversing-gear used upon automobiles. Said 'propeller ZIimay even be started and controlled by tightening and loosening the belt 27 while the motor .I9 continues in operation. The reversal of the power of the motor 19 would also cause a reversal of the may also .be -controlled by moving the rudder air-shipibackward or at least actas a brake lto bring the same to a standstill during its forward flight. The altitude of the air-ship 34 and the areoplanes 39, connected therewith, which may be accomplished by means -of the hand-lever 40, and by tilting the handlever to the position in which it is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the blast of air from the pneumatic tube will. strike the said aeroplanes and cause the rear of the air-ship to be depressed. Depressing the rear of the air- 'ship in the manner just described would cause the pneumatic tube and other parts to act as aeroplanes and the entire ship will be compelled to ascend` Placing the rudder and aeroplanes'in a position the reverse of that in which they are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 will have the opposite effect upon the entire air-ship. Placmg the rudder in a position in' which it is indicated Aby dotted lines in Fig. 6 will cause therear end of the air-ship to move toward the right hand and the entire ship to move forward in a direction toward the lef hand. Reversing the position of the rud er will cause a corresponding change in the 'irection of the air-ship.

From the above it will be seen that the airship is under l perfect control and may be caused to move in any desired direction, either to the right, left, up, or down. I combine the aeroplane' and the balloon and eschew the uncovered screw or fan propellers, which handle the atmosphere in all directions at a loss of speed and power. I use the aeroplane for controlling the ship, and thevballoon is used only -to suspend the action of gravity. The pointed end of the balloon permits the same to nieve through the air with small resistance, as it is moving into a vacuum produced by the tube, while the air which would otherwise oppose the forward movement of the pneumatic ytube-is actually drawn within said tube and expelled at the rear Of the ma- IOO chine, thus doing away with a great amount of air resistance at the front of the machine. By incasing the propeller 12 I cause the air to be discharged violently by centrifugal motion and compel the same to be discharged rearwardly. 'lhis action .is augmented by the flanges 17 of the 'paddles 16.

4It is obvous that I may use any desired shape of balloon and also any desired shape of pneumatic tube, and,- in fact,.I may use what is known as a multiform tube, consisting of a number of small tubes, as indicated by the dotted lines in F ig. 3.

What I claim is-a 1. .In an air-ship, a gas-bag, a tube suspended and held horizontally beneathl said gasbag, tliere' being an enlarged chamber formed at the rear end 'of the tube, a fan ver tically arranged and held for rotation in said chamber, a motor positioned on top of the tube for driving the fan, a rudder having horizontal and vertical blades hung Jlor vertical and horizontal movement immediately .back ofthe fan, a hand-leven connected to the for- Ward end of the lever for manipulating the same, a fam. arranged beneath the forward portion of the tube, and a driving connection from the first-mentioned fan-shaft to said last-mentioned fan;I substantially as speci-l a motor for said fan, a frame extending rear- Wardly from the top of the tube, a fork pivotally held in said -frame and depending' therefrom, a rudder having horizontal ano vertical blades of equal area suspended in the yoke, and an operating-handle connected to the forward end of said rudder for moving the same vertically and horizontally; substantially as speciied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in -presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES M. 'NEALL.

Witnesses 1' ALFRED A. EICKS,

JOHN C. HIGDON. 

